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brittanylee0302's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book was okay but I lost my interest in it about halfway through. The cover of this book has a kraken wrapped around a boat with 'adventures' being in the title which made me think this was going to be a fast pace adventure filled read & it really wasn't. Amina as a character is amazing, she's an older woman who is a bad ass mom & has been a little promiscuous through her life. However, when she goes to rescue people throughout the book she kind of loses some of her bad ass qualities. Magic is introduced in this book early on but it seems like the author kind of forgot they were writing a magical book until certain parts (minus Amina's husband). Overall, I had really high expectations for certain things in this book & felt consistently let down over them. I enjoyed the characters but the story just fell flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: War, Blood, and Rape
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a fun book, with a huge and diverse cast of characters. I didn’t even mind the storytelling inside the storytelling format (usually highly annoyed by that), but that was because it was minimal and not as distracting as usual. Great book for all ages. Reminds me a bit of The Princess Bride - full of adventure and driven by the love for one person, plus the salvation of an entire species!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Bullying, Classism, Violence, War, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, and Torture
tabea1409's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, War, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Slavery
fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
♡ At Sea Battles
♡ Pirate Romance
♡ An Ultimate Pirate Adventure
This was filled with adventure, leaving no room for a dull moment. The cover of this book fit the vibe so well.
I had a lot of fun reading this, even if high fantasy isn’t typically my genre; this was so lovely. The attention to details, the world building, and of course, the plot were all so entertaining.
I really enjoyed how the author wrote adult characters who seemed realistic. Like the main character dealing with chronic pain for example, being a single parent and worrying about her daughter’s wellbeing, and having a past that left her untrusting of most people.
Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 28, February 2023
Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Classism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Colonisation, Sexism, War, Grief, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Rape, Trafficking, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Addiction, Dysphoria, and Pregnancy
lesliehirgelt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery
renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
EASILY ONE OF MY TOP READS FOR 2024
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, and War
nerdbrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It starts out slow as the characters are introduced and entwined, but the payoff is so worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexism
matcha_pages's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Absolutely amazing, there needs to be more mature/older main leads in fantasy. Amina's life experiences as a seasoned female pirate and mother make for a witty, complex, and action packed adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death, and Gore
Minor: Slavery
aheyns's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Islamophobia, and Sexism
clavishorti's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In the splendid literary masterpiece The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon A. Chakraborty, I must confess that my attention has been captivated for quite some time. It is not merely the enchanting cover of the book, designed by Mumtaz Mustafa and illustrated by Ivan Belikov, but also the epic promises emanating from its story premise that have drawn me in. Thus, with a hopeful heart, I embarked upon the journey through its pages.
However, I did not immediately immerse myself in the narrative. It took me some time to navigate its intricate plot. Initially, my perspective was adrift amidst the flowing waves of words, compounded by confusion regarding the narrative viewpoint presented. Additionally, the varied vocabulary employed in the story remained partially veiled to my understanding. It was regrettable that, when consulting the footnotes or glossary provided, explanations for these words were rarely found. Consequently, I found myself investing extra time in comprehending each sentence, resorting to digital sources and the like for answers. Nonetheless, with patience and perseverance, I eventually succeeded in assimilating every nuance presented within the tale’s pages.
The tale of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon A. Chakraborty indeed revives the glory of a nakhuda named Amina al-Sirafi, immortalized as a hero amidst the mist of the ocean. She, a courageous woman, wearied from sailing across oceans to traverse time.
Amina, oh Amina, an intrepid explorer with a fiery spirit burning within her. Alongside her steadfast companions, she traverses the corners of the world, uncovering mysteries amidst the twinkling stars. Yet, when the curtain of retirement finally shrouds her vision, a sudden call beckons her to return to the sea that yearns for her. Although the joy of embracing it once more fills her, lament and regret reign within her, compelling her to leave her beloved family once more.
Thus unfolds a new chapter of Amina’s adventure, each step akin to a cluster of stars dancing in the sky. An adventure not only captivating but also filled with wonders and darkness. Otherworldly creatures, enchanting magic, and even bloodshed adorn her journey.
In this tale, Shannon A. Chakraborty presents a rich and intricate portrayal of the fantasy world created, a world that breathes life into its culture, history, and politics. With a storytelling style flowing like a river and descriptions that transform into living paintings, readers are invited to immerse themselves in the whirlpool of a captivating adventure, brimming with surprises and gripping tension.
As I sailed deeper into the currents of the story, pleasure undoubtedly crept into my soul. Even in the serene silence, tension danced at the edge of my heart, while frustration approached, evoking a sense of palpable frustration. However, some aspects of the story still seemed too shallow to explore fully.
Within the recesses of my heart, a bittersweet essence lingered, complementing the journey in certain parts. Just like any great literary work, this book has become a focal point of debate and diverse studies among its observers and enthusiasts. Opinions gathered may vary regarding the cultural, social, or political representations in this story, as well as different perspectives on the evolution of characters and plots unfolded.
There are cheers and somber reflections adorning the discussion, particularly when Shannon A. Chakraborty portrays the culture and religion amidst a landscape imbued with the aroma of the Middle East and the distinctive Arab flavor. Some feel a sharp impact, while others feel respected, or even identify weaknesses within it.
Yet, amidst the deluge of opinions and torrents of criticism, it is crucial to remember that every stroke of the pen carries subjective interpretations and reactions. Diversity of viewpoints is one of the hidden treasures amidst the flow of literary discourse. Despite varying opinions and interpretations, within them lies the magic that makes literature a wellspring of inspiration, self-reflection, and a cornerstone of critical reflection.
With all the grandeur and controversy surrounding the tale of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, it is undeniable that it remains a topic of conversation among literature enthusiasts. Amidst the cheers and somber reflections, discussions about cultural values, religious thoughts, and the intricacies of the plot continue to flow like an ever-running river. It is a work that invites deep reflection, sparks discussions that stimulate critical thinking, and adds an unforgettable hue to the tapestry of the world’s literary richness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Torture, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Alcohol